Baked Chicken, Lemon, and Pea Risotto

There is something about making risotto that is so satisfying.  Standing over the stove toasting the rice, adding the broth little by little, and then stirring the rice until you achieve the desired consistency.  I love when I get to this point because the sky is the limit as far as adding ingredients.  Sometimes I'll stir in leftover bits of cheese, veggies and/or meat and seafood just to clean out the fridge. Other times I have a game plan and will plan out all my add-in's. 

From time to time I've seen recipes for baked risotto and I've always been curious so I decided to give it a try.  I wondered about the texture of the rice. Will it be creamy if there is no stirring involved? I wondered about convenience? Will it be easier to bake risotto?  I wondered if it would be as satisfying. Would I miss stirring the risotto? 

My curiosity got the best of me so I gave it a try.  I must say the baked risotto was definitely good, but nowhere as good as making risotto the traditional way.  We all loved the flavors in this dish but would have preferred the traditional method much more. The baked risotto was definitely missing that wonderful creamy texture that you get from all the stirring.  Additionally the rice was a little firmer, definitely al dente, if you will.  Baking the risotto was also less convenient.  Traditional risotto uses one pan.  Baking the risotto requires dirtying up two pans and a baking dish.  Not to mention, you have to heat up your stovetop and your oven. Baking the risotto also takes much longer.  In fact, it nearly doubles the cooking time. Finally and most importantly, I really did miss stirring the risotto. 

Final verdict: I'm glad I tried the baked risotto, but I see no reason at all to ever do it again.  From now on I will continue to make my risotto the traditional way and will happily stand by the stove and stir, and stir, and stir.

Baked Chicken, Lemon, & Pea Risotto

Adapted from Simple Essentials Chicken

by Donna Hay

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil

7 ounces chicken breast, cubed

2 shallots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice

5 cups chicken stock

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Heat a nonstick frying pan over high heat.  Add the oil and chicken and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until well browned.  Set aside.  Add the shallots, lemon zest, and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until the shallots are softened.  Place the shallot mixture, rice, and stock in a baking dish.  Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Add the chicken and peas to the risotto, cover tightly and bake for a further 20 minutes.  The risotto will still be quite liquid.  Stir the lemon juice, parmesan, and salt and pepper through the risotto.  Stir for 2 minutes to thicken the risotto and serve immediately.  Note: I added a little more parmesan cheese on top and baked the risotto for another 4-5 minutes to reduce the liquid a little more.  Then I broiled the risotto for about 2-3 minutes for a golden brown crust.

Theme: Easy Entertaining!

Light and Healthy Chicken, Broccoli, and Pasta Casserole

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen lately, but sadly I have very little to show for it.  You know who I'm blaming?  The sun!  It just refuses to shine.  Rainy gloomy days.  Cloud coverage galore.  Can you believe the sun starts to set at 3:30 in the afternoon?  The nerve! Any pictures taken after 3:30 have shadows and the lighting is just terrible. Since normal people eat dinner after 3:30 you can understand how trying to get a picture of your dinner becomes an obstacle. 

I was tired of being thwarted by the sun, so today I started making dinner at noon and by 1:00 I was taking pictures.  Problem solved.  I'm so glad I was able to snap a decent picture of this casserole because it definitely deserves to be shared.

This is a light and healthy casserole but you would never know it.  It tastes very decadent and it's super creamy.  Pasta, shredded chicken, and broccoli tossed in a creamy garlicky cheese sauce with a crispy bread crumb topping.  It's delicious and totally family friendly.  My husband, who absolutely can't stand broccoli, ate two servings.  In fact the whole family wiped this casserole out.  There were no leftovers.

This is a great recipe to add to your light and healthy collection.  I think next time I'll make a double batch because this actually reheated very well and I would really love to have some leftovers.  

Chicken, Broccoli, and Pasta Casserole

Adapted from Skinnytaste

Serves 6, or less, depending

6 oz Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta

2 tsp oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced thin

12 oz fresh broccoli florets, chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 medium shallot, minced

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1-3/4 cups fat free chicken broth

1 cup 1% milk

12 oz cooked shredded chicken breast

4 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar

cooking spray

3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs

Note: I used the breast meat from a rotissiere chicken  for this dish.   I also used 2% milk since that's what I had on hand

Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.
 

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook on medium heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and a little salt, saute and cover the broccoli for about 3 minutes on medium heat until the broccoli begins to soften. Set aside.

 Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly spray a 9 x 12 casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-low heat, when melted add the shallot and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.

 Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined over medium heat; whisk well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium heat, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes). Remove from heat and add reduced fat sharp cheddar and 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese; mix well until the cheese melts. Add the shredded chicken, noodles and broccoli to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated.

Pour into a casserole dish and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. Place the casserole under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp and golden (careful not to burn).

 

 

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 313 • Fat: 9.9 g • Protein: 27.2 g • Carb: 31.2 g • Fiber: 4.4 g • Sugar: 2.6 g
Sodium: 256.7 mg (without salt)

 

Cheesy Mac 'N' Bangers Bake

Wanna know what my New Year's resolution is?  It's not your average run-of-the-mill resolution.  It's really simple.  In fact, I can sum it up in one word: NO!  This year I promised myself that I would learn how to say "no."  So far it's working out great.  I've been walking around saying "no" like I'm a toddler.  You'd think I just learned the word.  

Will you help us out at the school?  No.   

Will you help us throw together a bake sale?  No. 

Can you stop what you're doing and get me whatever I want?  No.  

Can you watch my kids for the day while I go to work? No.   

Do you want to buy some girl scout cookies?  No.   

I don't like spinach.  Can I have something else for dinner? No. 

You get the picture, right?  Basically I've been a yes person for my entire life.  I've always tried to be polite and please others, watch my p's and q's if you will.  All of that is over now.  

As you can imagine my new plan is meeting some resistance.  I'm getting a lot of strange looks and raised eyebrows. My husband even suggested I change my blog from Stirring the Pot to Stirring the Cauldron.  I had to laugh out loud when he made that suggestion. It was pretty funny. But I'm still sticking to my guns.  This will be one resolution that I keep.  There is going to be a new version of Kim, raw and uncut.  I don't think people know what's in store for them.

So, I'm making no apologies for this macaroni and cheese.  It's total comfort food.  A layer of sausage (aka bangers), a layer of spinach strata, and a creamy mac and cheese base.  It's not diet food in any way, shape, or form.  It's loaded with sausage, cheese, cream, 6 eggs, pasta and bread, and then some more cheese for good measure.  It's the kind of thing you make when you want to say the hell with it.  Now who wants to join me?

Cheesy Mac 'N' Bangers Bake

Adapted from Everyday Jan/Feb 2012

Serves 4 or 6

1/2 lb elbow macaroni

1 lb irish bangers or sweet italian sausages, casings removed

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 lb. thawed frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp

salt and pepper

6 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated parmesan 

6 slices white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed

In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni, stirring often, until al dente.  Drain and let cool; do not rinse.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally until crumbly, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Melt the butter in the pan, then add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the cream cheese until blended; season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.

In a large bowl, using a fork, beat together the eggs, heavy cream, 2/3 cup parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

In a 9-inch square baking dish, evenly layer the macaroni and cover with the bread slices.  Top with the spinach mixture in an even layer, then the sausage.  Pour the egg mixture on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan (cover and refrigerate overnight if desired).  

Let the casserole stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.  Preheat the oven to 375F and bake until browned and crusty on top and set in the center, about 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Do I have to tell you that we liked it?

Pimiento Mac 'n' Cheese

A short while ago my sweet friend Brenda, over at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen, pointed out her love of Rachel Ray's newest cookbook, Look + Cook.  After seeing all the great dishes that Brenda was cooking I decided to sneak a peek at the book myself.  I was really impressed with all the beautiful pictures, as well as all the fun recipes, and decided to purchase the book myself.  I quickly emailed Brenda to tell her how happy I was with the book and asked her if she'd like to do a little cook along together.  We decided on a laid-back approach of one recipe per month, posting the chosen recipe at any time during the month.  The first recipe in our little cook along is this super tasty and flavorful Pimiento Mac 'n' Cheese.

All of the recipes in Look + Cook stand out to me, but this recipe for Pimiento Mac 'n' Cheese really caught my eye. In this recipe Rachel really spices things up with with a generous dose of paprika and hot sauce.  I was a big fan of the spicy undertones in this macaroni and cheese and found myself craving it even after it was gone. This is a fantastic recipe that I will make again in the future.  Probably soon!

Pimiento Mac 'n Cheese

Adapted from Rachel Ray's Look + Cook

Serves 6

Salt 

1 pound cavatappi pasta (hollow, fat corkscrew-shaped pasta) or elbows (I used mini penne)

1 tablespoon extra virgin-olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (maybe a little more)

Black pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sweet paprika, plus additional for garnish

2 cups whole milk (I used 1%)

2 teaspoons hot sauce

3 cups grated sharp yellow cheddar cheese

2 (4-ounce) jars pimientos, drained

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf or curly parsley

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  Salt the water and cook the pasta to just shy of al dente.  Heat a large pot over medium heat with the extra virgin olive oil and butter.  When the butter melts, add the onions, garlic, and salt and cook for another minute.  Stir in the paprika.  Whisk in the milk and hot sauce and bring up to a bubble, then cook to thicken for a minute or two.  Turn off the heat and stir in half of the cheese in a figure-eight motion until melted.  Add the pimientos.  Preheat the broiler.  When the pasta is  nearly al dente, drain it well and add it to the pot with the cheese sauce.  Toss to combine.  Then under the broiler, 2 to 3 minutes.  Garnish with the chopped parsley and a generous sprinkle of sweet paprika.

Notes/Results:  This is a smooth and creamy macaroni and cheese with spicy undertones and lots of yummy garlic flavor.  One thing I liked about this macaroni and cheese is the fact that it goes under the broiler for just a few minutes, which allows it to be smooth and creamy instead of having the consistency of baked macaroni and cheese. A keeper recipe for sure!

This Pimiento Mac 'n' Cheese was February's choice for our Look + Cook Cook Along.  For the month of March Brenda has chosen Rachel's Individual Florentine Frying-Pan Pizza on page 213 of the book.  If any of you would like to cook along and need the recipe, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to send it to you.